Just as he did while campaigning with Rep. Paul Ryan in Wisconsin and other big names — Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte — Romney didn’t indulge in veep speculation in his first press conference in over a month.

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The presumptive GOP nominee said that senior aide Beth Myers “has begun to put together a number of the names and criteria and so forth that would be associated with that process” but added that there had been no discussion “of putting together a list or evaluating various candidates.”

Romney and Rubio each dodged a question about whether the freshman senator from Florida — who has less government experience than does Barack Obama, whom Romney regularly says wasn’t prepared to be president — is experienced enough to be “a heartbeat away” from the Oval Office.

“I don’t think I have any comments on qualifications for individuals to serve in various positions in government at this stage,” Romney said. “That is something that we’re going to be considering down the road as we consider various potential vice presidential nominees.”

Rubio added: “I’m not talking about that process anymore.”

When the pair appeared together on stage in Pennsylvania — which holds its primary tomorrow — the applause for Rubio was louder and more enthusiastic than it was for Romney. Rubio told of being the son of Cuban immigrants, who “both grew up pretty poor” and “didn’t know anybody here,” before pronouncing that his version of the American dream will go extinct “if Barack Obama is president another four years.”

Democrats and the liberal blogosphere mocked the response Romney — who served as a Mormon missionary in France when he was younger — gave to a French television reporter about his favorite memories of the country.

“I have a lot of memories of France,” he told Maryse Burgot, a correspondent from French 2 TV. “I think the best memories were with my wife on vacations, from time to time in France. The last vacation we had there, walking around the city of Paris, not just in the Champs-Élysées but also over to the Jardin of Luxembourg and around the city, as one of the most magnificent cities in the world and I look forward to occasional vacations again in such a beautiful place.”